Athletics and hyperandogeny: too much defeat for Caster Semenya?

The South African Caster Semenya.

REUTERS / Ibraheem Al Omari / File Photo

Text by: David Kalfa Follow

4 min

Will the South African Caster Semenya be able to compete again one day in a high level race over 800 or 1,500 meters?

Swiss justice rejected an appeal filed by the Olympic champion against the regulations of the International Athletics Federation.

This stipulates that runners whose testosterone level is unusually high must have it regulated in order to be allowed to compete over certain distances.

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“ 

 Caster Semenya remained combative on September 8, 2020, in a short message on Twitter.

But we should speak of disillusionment concerning the double Olympic champion, triple world champion and five-time African champion.

It has just lost a new legal battle against the International Athletics Federation (World Athletics).

A long fight began shortly after the 2009 Worlds during which the South African, then little known, had crushed the competition over 800 meters, to almost everyone's surprise.

This victory in Berlin then revived a lively debate on sport and gender, at the crossroads of health, politics and philosophy.

This September 8, 2020, the Swiss justice rejected an appeal filed by Caster Semenya against the regulations of World Atheltics (ex-IAAF) which restrict access to certain events for hyperandrogenic athletes.

The native of Pietersburg, like others before her, naturally produces unusually high testosterone levels.

However, the former IAAF has demanded since April 2018 that the sports concerned reduce this rate to be authorized to compete in races over all distances ranging from 400 meters to a mile (1,609 meters).

A decision which had notably deprived the interested party of the 2019 Worlds in Qatar and aroused the wrath of the United Nations Organization (UN), the UN Women agency seeing a risk of " 

 " and " 

 ”.

World Athletics rejoices

For its part, the Swiss Supreme Court claims to have made prevail " 

 " as " 

 ", on the grounds that a testosterone level comparable to that of men gives female athletes " 

 ".

He thus confirmed the decision taken in May 2019 by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), the supreme body in matters of sports disputes.

The CAS had already felt that athletes like Caster Semenya took too much advantage of their predisposition.

“For the 

, said the International Federation. in a press release.

(with differences in sexual development, note)

 ”.

Alternatives rather than remedies for Semenya

After the decision of the Swiss Supreme Court, Caster Semenya defended strongly: “ 

 She further indicated her intention to seize " 

 ".

But, in fact, the South African seems to have exhausted the main possible legal avenues.

At 29, Caster Semenya is theoretically in his prime.

Currently, she has two options available to try to compete in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics: agree to follow the drug regimen claimed by World Athletics - which obviously seems out of the question - or try her luck over a non-distance. concerned by this controversial regulation.

On March 13, she had thus indicated her intention to line up for 200 meters.

Currently, the African athletics superstar is busy playing football with club JVW FC.

But she assured that she did not give up the sport that made her queen.

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